The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae by Stephanie ButlandMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ailsa Rae is learning how to live.
She's only a few months past the heart transplant that - just in time - saved her life. Life should be a joyful adventure. But . . .
Her relationship with her mother is at breaking point.
She knows she needs to find her father.
She's missed so much that her friends have left her behind.
She's felt so helpless for so long that she's let polls on her blog make her decisions for her. And now she barely knows where to start on her own.
And then there's Lennox. Her best friend and one time lover. He was sick too. He didn't make it. And now she's supposed to face all of this without him.
But her new heart is a bold heart.
She just needs to learn to listen to it . . .
I really enjoyed this. It follows Ailsa's struggles to adapt to her life following a heart transplant. Having spent most of her 28 years being very unwell she is given a chance to actually live. But this requires a lot of adjustments. It's told in different ways, from flashbacks to life before the transplant, present time narrative plus e-mail exchanges and blog posts. This didn't detract from the story though. It's funny at times but also sad. Not everyone gets a happy ending when waiting for a transplant (not a spoiler - it's in the blurb).
Ailsa is not the only one having to adapt. Her Mum also has to learn to cope with life after the transplant and how this changes their relationship.
This is a work of fiction but hopefully anyone reading it who isn't on the donor register might actually put themselves on it.
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Thanks for the review, Wendy!
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